


A Paradox of Blessings

by Fait_dEtoiles



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Blessings, In-Laws, Love, M/M, Negotiations, Thanksgiving, family gathering, fiances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21598177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fait_dEtoiles/pseuds/Fait_dEtoiles
Summary: Patrick and David host Thanksgiving for their parents, against David's will, but the realization of all the blessings in his life make him thankful for what he has, as well as what he's lost.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

The sun is peeking through the blinds as the alarm goes off rousing Patrick from a peaceful sleep. He is generally a light sleeper who finds it easy to wake up each morning ready to start a new day. David, however, regularly sleeps in until at least nine o’clock, if not ten. When he is forced to wake earlier, he definitely requires a layered approach moving him slowly toward alertness which includes both soft touches and whispered words in between chaste kisses administered by his fiancé who is only too happy to enable these indulgent needs. Giving up sleep this early in the morning for the responsibilities that come with owning a store is what Patrick does, _not_ David.

Today, however, Patrick wants David awake before he leaves the house to begin his routine at their store. He’ll see David later in the morning, of course, but he finds himself lazily stroking David’s arm being particularly gentle in his attempt to arouse David as he has something he really wants to ask. He knows David is going to need to be in a good mood and will need more encouragement than usual to to agree to this particular idea he’s had, possibly even something that will require mutual clean-up. Patrick is smiling to himself about this likely turn of events as David turns to face him, eyes still closed. He hums as he breathes out a sigh, encouraging Patrick to continue touching him, as hopeful as Patrick is that this could turn into something more. Basically, he’s reasoning in his half-awake state of mind, if he’s waking me up at the crack of dawn, shouldn’t he at least make it worth my while?

Patrick continues caressing his arm, moving his hand up to his neck to pull David toward him as he presses a wake-up kiss to David’s soft lips. “Good morning, love,” he croons, just above a whisper. Again, David just hums in reply. “Hey, I have something I want to ask you.” Patrick props his head up, leaning on his elbow.

“Mmhmmm,” David manages a wordless acknowledgement, moving toward Patrick’s lips without opening his eyes. Patrick leans down helping David find his target, pressing another kiss to his lips, lingering a moment longer than the first.

Patrick leans back on his arm as he attempts to put his thoughts into words, “So, when I was talking to my mom yesterday, she was asking about our plans for Thanksgiving. She says they want us to come home for a long weekend.”

David nods agreeably to this, eyes still closed but leaning Patrick’s direction again. Patrick indulges him with another quick kiss before continuing his thought.

“Yah, so I want to see them, I really do, but I don’t see how we can close the store for that long. And driving all the way there for one day wouldn’t really be worth it.” He starts stroking David’s arm again; whether it is to soothe David or himself is unclear. “That is a big shopping weekend you know, and we can’t really afford to close the store. If we do, we’ll lose a _lot_ of profit.”

At this, David cracks his eyes open turning to look at Patrick, stopping Patrick’s nervous caresses with his own firm hand. He clears his throat to speak managing a supportive tone though still not fully awake. “You haven't been home for Thanksgiving for the past two years. You should go. I’ll be fine with the store. It’s not like I don’t know how to run my own store,” he says.

“It’s _our_ store, David,” he challenges, but not without catching David’s subtle eye roll. Then he speaks again, returning to a softer tone, “But I want us to be together. I mean obviously I want to see them, _too_ , but I’m not going to give up being with you so I can drive all the way home by myself.” His hand is on David’s chest now, rubbing soft circles in David’s chest hair with his fingers. After a moment of thought, he questions, “What are your parents going to be doing?” Then adds, “And what about Alexis, what’s she doin’ for Thanksgiving?”

“Ummm, I assume she’ll be with Ted,” David answers, shaking his head slightly, shrugging his shoulders as if he hadn’t given it any thought before this conversation. “Where else would she go? He turns his head to look at Patrick, “My parents, though? I’m guessing they’ll spend it at the motel, or the cafe- probably both. Again, do they ever go anywhere else, and why does it matter?”

Patrick nods in silent agreement for a moment. “Yah, ummm, shouldn’t you be with them for Thanksgiving? I mean, if Alexis isn’t going to be with them, shouldn’t you at least spend some time with them?” All of this talk about Thanksgiving and Alexis and his parents has David confused. It’s not like it matters. It’s just another day as far as he’s concerned. He says nothing as he closes his eyes again, letting his head roll back on his pillow. Honestly, he’s disinterested in how his family chooses to spend their time on a day he’s looking forward to waking up without an alarm, lounging in bed with Patrick, and maybe eating some pie to round the day off. “I’m not suggesting we go to the cafe for Thanksgiving dinner or anything just to spend time with them, but.....” He looks at David and shrugs, “maybe they could, you know, come over here. I could invite my parents, too.”

With this, David’s mind is awake again having processed what Patrick has just proposed. “Excuse me? What are you talking about? Are you suggesting we have them here- all of them? Here in this tiny apartment? At the same time?” David asks incredulously, turning back to stare directly into Patrick’s eyes.

“David, my parents would love it. And your parents deserve more than Cafe Tropical for Thanksgiving. We can cook for them, it will be fun.”

“Absolutely not, Patrick. I will not entertain Johnny and Moira Rose and your parents together. You know my parents. And I know your parents. We both know this is a bad idea, or, I don’t know, am I the only one who can see this is a fucking insane idea. No way. They have absolutely nothing in common. And my parents cannot be trusted. Seriously. No thank you. Nope. That’s a HARD PASS.”

Patrick snuggles down wrapping his legs around David’s. “Babe, you’re exaggerating. True, your parents are...” Patrick trails off not wanting to say anything about David’s parents so he shifts his thoughts, “And my parents are, well...they’re different than your parents, but they are our parents. We can't keep them apart forever.” David closes his eyes tightly, biting his lips between his teeth as Patrick continues. “Think about the night of my birthday party...how much my parents enjoyed coming here. Your parents were _great_ , so welcoming.”

David’s eyes fly open at this memory. “Are you _serious_? _That’s_ your winning argument for this proposed fiasco? Are we even remembering the same day?” David chokes back an incredulous laugh. “That day was saved, _miraculously_ , but with no thanks to my parents!”

David worries they will embarrass him, as they usually do. That he will have to be on the entire day, managing conversations to keep them from oversharing- he’s not sure exactly what, just basically everything from his past. Everything he has safely boxed up and locked away hoping never to revisit again.

Patrick pulls back a bit and looks David in the eye and responds, “Thanksgiving has always been important to my family. You and your parents are my family now, too. My parents want to get to know yours better now that we’re engaged. And they know about your past, David. They don’t care. And since we’re not going _ther_ e, I want to do this for them, for all of them, _here_. Just ask your mom and dad today and I’ll call mine later to let them know we’re hosting.”

David shakes he head. “You're going to me owe when this completely unravels,” David begins. “You know I can’t manage them- they’re _unmanageable_. And our relationship isn’t worth a dinner party that I’m positive will go up in flames- and I don’t even mean the food, but considering I’m going to have to help you cook, though, you know what, there’s a serious potential for that to happen, too!” David has rolled back over and is lying on his back, his hands emphasizing each thought at this point. “After spending an afternoon with my parents, your parents will be convinced you’ve lost your mind, Patrick. Not only for moving here, to _Schitt’s Creek_ , but for asking me to marry you- you don’t even know what they might share. You know, maybe you _have_ lost your mind if you think this is a good idea. What if this makes you realize what a mistake marrying me actually is. What if they convince you to break up with me after this all goes so so wrong?” His voice is frantically rising as he imagines each scenario a worse outcome than the one before it, eyes darting from the ceiling to Patrick’s face, not able to hold his focus for more than a fleeting moment at a time. Patrick watches him but remains quiet, sensing that David has been working out his anxiety and he is simultaneously losing his will to continue the argument. Patrick instinctively wraps his arm around David’s shoulders in a half-hug grounding him in the way only he can before he finally speaks.

“David,” he soothes him, “It will be fine. You know my parents already love you,” he says as he snuggles closer to David’s side, pressing kisses into David’s neck until he feels him begin to relax a bit. “And, by the way, I will never break up with you, you know that,” he starts off with a sincere tone, but finishes playfully. “Never. I would never break up with you because I could never find anyone as sexy as you,” he says, holding back a laugh. At this point, he unwraps his legs from around David’s as he rolls himself over, completely on top of David now, pinning his arms, straddling his hips and teasingly pressing a kiss into his mouth. He knows he has won. David groans in defeat, but grabs Patrick’s hips and pulls them down hard toward his own, happy with this consolation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Patrick share their plans with their parents for hosting a Thanksgiving get-together

Patricks unlocks the door to Rose Apothecary and finds his way to the backroom to drop his things before starting his opening routine. He’s moving about the store on autopilot because his mind is busy reflecting on all the things he and David had talked just talked about. He knows David has a lot of anxiety about having their parents together, but he also knows he has no reason to feel this way. He feels David all around him even though David’s not even at the store right now. David is in his head and in his heart all the time, and he is everything he’s ever wanted. His parents know he’s happier now than he has ever been and they know he has David to thank for that. He also knows with certainty that there is nothing that will ever change that, he is sure of it. As he finishes loading the cash into the register, he looks around for one last check that everything is in place before the morning customers begin arriving, then he pulls his phone out of his pocket to call his mom.

Marcy is already up; an early riser like her son. Patrick knows she will be waiting for him to call to let her know about their Thanksgiving plans, having talked to her the day before. He knows her morning routine as well as his own and knows that she’ll be free to talk. He imagines her sitting at the kitchen table sipping her coffee, reading the news, having finished packing his dad’s lunch and sending him out the door with a kiss as she has done for the last 40 years. He feels happiness knowing this routine hasn’t changed much since the time he was old enough to remember and wonders how time might change his routines with David. He suspects they will only grow stronger as they naturally fall into giving each other what they need as, having grown into their current routine starting as business partners and now to fiancés, and soon to be husbands.

When Marcy's phone rings, she quickly answers, words spilling out in excitement, “Patrick honey, is everything okay? I was hoping you’d call back today, but didn’t expect to hear from you so early. Are you at work, is it okay to talk? Did you talk to David? Will you be able to come home this year?” Patrick is quiet on the other end of the line letting his mother gush all her thoughts at once. It reminds him of David in a way, each of them so full of joy; knowing he’s at the center of this joy makes him feel blessed on both counts.

“Hi mom,” Patrick replies as she finally slows down waiting for him to answer, not realizing she hasn’t taken a breath since answering. He lights up inside at her excitement about the holiday, a counterbalance to David’s anxiety. He’s sure the news that they won’t be coming home will not impact her happiness once he shares his plan, and he’s not wrong. “Yes, mom, I’m okay, and yes, I’m at work. I talked to David this morning before I left. He’s still at home, so I think I’m okay to make a quick phone call,” he teases- clearly no one is off limits for his quick quips. “So, anyway, I think we’re not going to be able to make it for Thanksgiving." Marcy gives an audible sigh as Patrick continues, "David wanted me to come by myself, said he could stay back to run the store, but I really want to be home with him over the holiday.”

“Okay, Honey, I understand. I know it’s important that you’re together...was just hoping you could _both_ come home. I understand about the store though,” the excitement in Marcy’s voice has fallen off, turning to sincerity.

“Well, we also talked about having Thanksgiving here. We want you and dad to come here for Thanksgiving. David has agreed to ask his parents, too- we want to cook for you guys here at the apartment.” He doesn’t mention David’s thoughts about the size of the apartment, his opinion about having them all together, or his fears about what they will think of his parents when they have a chance to get to know them better.

“Oh Patrick, that would be fun, but are you sure you can handle it- that’s a lot to take on while you boys have the store to run, especially with the holiday rush starting,” Marcy adds.

“Yes, mom. David _loves_ event planning and I’m sure I can pull together a Thanksgiving meal- maybe not as nice as _yours_ , but you’ve taught me well; I owe it to you after all the meals you’ve prepared for me.” Patrick answers her then thinks to himself, David loves event planning, that's certainly true, but not for groups that include their parents, much less together in the same small space, but he doesn’t say any of that, of course.

Marcy’s excitement returns at the prospect of sharing time with her son and David, and his parents, too. Her words begin tumble out again as her thoughts run away with her, “So David’s parents are coming? Your dad will be happy to take a roadtrip. Oh, and I’ll need to make reservations at the motel, too. I’ll bring my special sweet potato casserole and maybe a pie? Does that sound okay, honey? What is David’s favorite?” Patrick chuckles about the fact that she’s happier to bring David’s favorite pie than his. He knows they love David already and have completely accepted his move to Schitt’s Creek and his future with David, but hearing his mother’s excitement brings all the joy she’s spilling out straight into his heart. This is going to be the start of a wonderful marriage of families, he’s sure of it.

Later, when David strolls in nearer to ten thirty than ten o'clock, Patrick makes no comment but greets him with a kiss and starts to fill him in on the plans, “Talked to my mom earlier. She said they’re happy to come and my mom’s bringing your favorite pie.” Patrick knows the promise of food, especially a favorite dessert, can only help his plight. “It’s going to be great, really. They’re excited,” he adds. “Now you just have to invite your parents."

“Sure, sure, that’s fine, bribe me with pie,” David broods. “Anyway, I talked to my parents already, they said they’ll come, How did my mom put it? ‘I’m delighted to enjoy this festive occasion with you and your betrothed.’” David waves his hands as if he’s brushing off his mother’s words. “You’re sure your parents think this is a good idea? Because I positively do NOT think this is a good idea. But it’s in your hands now,” David gripes as he moves into Patrick’s space, wrapping arms around his hips. Patrick just looks up at him, smiling, satisfied it was this easy. Then David adds, “I just hope your _hands_ know how to cook a Thanksgiving dinner, because I’m still not sure I even know how to fold in cheese- apparently that’s a thing you do when you cook.” He rolls his eyes then leans in, kissing his fiancé with a smirk, knowing that with Patrick’s confidence they will be okay and that the meal will be nothing less than fabulous. Patrick is happy to accept the kiss and thanks David for giving him this, “It’s going to be great, David, and it’ll be a perfect time for our parents to get to know each other- thanks for asking your mom and dad, I know it wasn’t easy.” With that, Patrick pecks David on the lips once more before pulling himself away and starting back to work.


End file.
